One of the first mass produced soaps in the world, Castile is traditionally made into a bar soap, and is made entirely from Olive Oil, water, and lye. Although most Castile soaps today still include a hefty portion of Olive Oil, many Castile recipes include other Vegetable Oils such as Hemp Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, or Sunflower Oil. These simple, vegetable based soaps produce gentle, all natural bars of soap that are often cornerstones in handmade soapmakers' recipe books.
Our Liquid Castile Soap is made from similar ingredients, but has been liquefied to create an all natural liquid soap base that can be used as is, or included in a wide range of natural formulations. Unlike most liquid soaps, our Liquid Castile Soap Base contains no chemical preservatives, sulfates, or other synthetic additives, making it one of the gentlest liquid soaps available.
FromNatureWithLove.com is proud to carry three varieties of all natural, Liquid Castile Soap Base. Each base is made from a combination of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera Gel, Water, and Rosemary Oil Extract.
- Our conventional Liquid Castile Soap is made from conventional ingredients, and has a thin, watery texture, and characteristic aroma of classic castile soap.
- Organic Liquid Castile Soap Base is made with the same recipe as our conventional base. However, the ingredients and process used to create this base are Certified USDA Organic.
- Our Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base is a unique variation of classic Liquid Castile Soap. Vegetable Gum/Glycerin Extract, and Jojoba have been added to the recipe to produce a thicker, more gel-like Castile Soap. This base also carries a slightly lighter natural aroma than classic Liquid Castile Soap, making it easier to scent. Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base makes an excellent addition to thick scrubs and other formulations where classic Castile would be too thin.
Liquid Castile Soap Bases can be scented with either natural Essential Oils or synthetic Fragrance Oils. In our experience, Liquid Castile Soaps tend to blend more easily with Essential Oils. While most skin safe Essential Oils can be used to scent Liquid Castile Soap, we have found Lavender, Peppermint, and Lime Essential Oils to be our favorites. Essential Oils can also be added to Liquid Castile Soap with the soap's purpose in mind.
Tea Tree, Naiouli, and Citrus Essential Oils can be combined with Liquid Castile Soap to make an excellent dish washing soap. - Naiouli, Peppermint, and Lemongrass can be used to scent a Castile based foot scrub.
- Lavender, Rosemary, and a few drops of Peppermint Essential Oil can be used to create an invigorating, all natural, Castile shampoo. (Make sure to accompany any Castile Shampoo with a vinegar rinse to remove any excess residue that Castile could leave behind.)
As always, be sure to take care with the dilution of the Essential Oils being used in your Liquid Castile Soap creations. An overdose of Essential Oil in your shampoo, for example, could be very unpleasant, or even dangerous. A good starting point for these kind of formulas is a usage rate of about 2 - 4 %. However, some Essential Oils may require extra dilution.
Hi,
can you add honey to your castile soap base and if so, how much you would recommend? I would like to create a honey hair and body wash with the castile soap and maybe some bitter almond (60/40) essential oils.
love to hear your thoughts
Posted by: Kim | October 23, 2008 at 08:29 PM
Since Honey is water soluble it can be added easily to Liquid Castile Soap. This is often done for use in fresh formulas such as facials, cleansers, and more. Honey does contain natural antibiotic or antibacterial properties, but can still be prone to the growth of particular bacteria. Therefor, Honey must be treated as a fragile ingredient in terms of long time shelf life. An additional preservative may be required to account for the presence of honey if the product requires a stable shelf life.
Essential Oils can easily be added to Liquid Castile Soap. The Essential Oils can be added directly to the sopa and stirred in. Most Essential Oils can be added at between 2-4%, but refer to an Essential Oil guide to see the best percentage to use for a particular Essential Oil or application.
Posted by: Emmy | October 24, 2008 at 09:42 AM
I am looking to buy a liquid soap base or paste that will be crystal clear. Is this possible? I have seen one made with coconut oil as the main oil, and it was tinted a light clear pink with a seaweed extract. I want to make it for my skin care line. Do you sell something like this? or can you make it?
Thank you,
Joanne
Posted by: Joanne | November 18, 2008 at 07:34 PM
FromNatureWithLove.com carries several liquid soap bases. The closest to what you are looking for would be our Shea Butter Shower Gel or Shea Butter Bubble Bath Base. These soaps are transparent, but aren't what I would call "crystal clear". Alos, they do not contain any Seaweed Extract. They are, however, great bases. Both yield a high lather, and accept color and scent easily. You can learn more about these two bases here:
Shea Butter Bubble Bath:
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/product.asp?product_id=basesheabubbth
Shea Butter Shower Gel:
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/product.asp?product_id=basesheashwgl
You may also want to look into formulating a liquid soap from scratch to suit your needs. We have a great book on creating liquid soaps. You can find it here:
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/bookstore/product.asp?product_id=bookliquid
Posted by: Emmy | November 21, 2008 at 10:19 AM
What is the most effective a bar soap or a liquid soap?
vee
Posted by: Vee | November 02, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Hi Vee. Both bar and liquid soaps cleanse well, and when it comes to Castile soap, I would say that either would have good conditioning quality. It really depends on your personal preference. If you love lots of bubble and lather, try using liquid soap along with a sponge or pouf. If you prefer the low suds of bar soap, than solid castile is the way to go.
Posted by: Emmy Gabriel | November 03, 2009 at 03:47 AM
I want to make a creamy milk body cleanser with organic ingredients in the soap base with a little-moderate lather. What would you recommend would be a good base for milks such as oat, goat, rice or almond? Is there any special tips to making it blend well?
Posted by: Jamie | December 16, 2009 at 06:29 AM
Thanks for your question regarding making body wash, Jamie. If you are going
to make this with a Pre-Made Base, you should use powdered Milk
ingredients to help avoid spoilage. However, by adding such fragile
ingredients you will be changing the composition of the body wash, so
it may not be properly preserved after these ingreidents are added.
If you want to create a liquid body wash using Milk ingredients, the
best thing is to make it from scratch. Making Liquid Soaps is
challenging, but very rewarding! Check out the following book from our
Book Store to learn more about how to make liquid soaps: http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/bookstore/product.asp?product_id=BOOKLIQUID
Posted by: Emmy Gabriel | December 18, 2009 at 12:54 AM
I find it difficult scenting liquid castile soap. I just found your site so I have been trying to scent a soap made by a different company - I don't know if that makes a difference. I tried adding my essential oils to room temperature soap and ended up with a large mass at the top of my bottle. (Upon inspection of the "mass", it seems to be greatly thickened/concentrated soap with high concentration of the essential oil.) I then tried heating the soap in a double boiler and then slowly adding the essential oils. It seemed to incorporate well, but after pouring the warm mixture into the bottle and letting it cool, it seems very thick to the point of being semi-solid (kind of gel-like). Another batch I did using the heating method is the right consistency but still separating a bit (smaller mass at the top). Any troubleshooting suggestions? FYI: I used grapefruit, and lemon essential oils.
Thank you!
Jen
Posted by: Jen | May 10, 2010 at 04:55 PM
Hi Jennifer. We actually havent run into this problem with Essential Oils and our Castile Soap before. Warming the soap came to mind because Castile can develop hardened portions when it gets cold due the presence of natural esters inside the soap. Our Liquid Castile has a slightly simpler ingredient list. (Saponified organic oils of coconut, olive and jojoba, organic aloe vera, rosemary extract (preservative) I dont see an ingredient that would be especially troublesome in the Castile you are using, but maybe it has something to do with its formulation?
Like I said, weve never had an issue with incorporating Essential Oils into our Liquid Castile, but we have had issues adding certain Fragrance Oils. Some synthetic ingredients contained in certain Fragrance Oils can react badly with Castile, either giving the soap an icky scent, or sometimes just not mixing properly. Is it possible the Grapefruit Essential Oil you are using is actually a Fragrance Oil?
The only other suggestion our Tech Help Department could come up with is to try adding the EO to a Carrier Oil before adding it to your soap. Another thing I noticed was that during your last blog comment you mentioned the soap becoming gel-like after you heated it. That sounds to me like you are overheating the soap, and that liquid is escaping from it as it is heated. You shouldnt have to get the soap hot in order to combine it with EO. Instead, just warm it gently. I would suggest putting the closed bottle into a bath of hot water for ten minutes or so. That should be plenty of heat to dissolve any esters that may have formed.
Thanks again for contacting us with your questions, Jennifer. If you are still having issues, I would suggest contacting the supplier of your soap. Perhaps other customers have had the same problem. They may have a solution on-hand.
Posted by: Emmy Gabriel | May 11, 2010 at 03:10 PM
how can I thicken your castile soap?
Posted by: pam | July 19, 2010 at 12:24 AM
The method most commonly used to thicken our Castile Soap uses Vegetable Gum, such as Guar Gum as a thickening agent. Guar Gum can be added to a small amount of water, or borax and water to create a gel that can be then added to Liquid Castile. It should be used at a rate of around .5 - 1% of the total recipe. We also carry a version of Liquid Castile that has a thicker texture. We call it Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base. It is made with a similar recipe to classic Castile, but has been thickened with Vegetable Gum. You can check out the products complete description, and its ingredient list at the following link: http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/product.asp?product_id=BASECASTSHOWsearchflag=1
Posted by: Emmy Gabriel | July 19, 2010 at 05:56 PM
I want to make my own shampoos. When using your castile soap would I have to rinse with a vinegar rinse after shampooing. Or is it a way for me to eliminate having to do a vinegar rinse all together? And what can I add to the castile soap to form a lather? Or does it have a natural lather? Thanks for your help.
Posted by: Mellanie Campbell | January 28, 2011 at 01:47 PM
Hi Melanie. Castile can make a great base for natural shampoo, but it is almost always necessary to follow it up with a vinegar rinse in order to wash away any residue from the natural soap. The soap will lather on its own, but not as much as a commercial shampoo does. Instead, Castile will produce a much lighter lather. We have some great recipes for both Castile based shampoos and Vinegar rinses in our Hair Care Recipes section. Feel free to check them out!
http://www.naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/hair_care_recipes/
Posted by: Emmy Gabriel | January 28, 2011 at 02:14 PM
Can Liquid Castile Soap be used as a face cleanser for dry, sensitive skin? I have tried it but it leaves my skin feeling dry and tight. Is there a way to make it more gentle and moisturizing? I do love the lather and how it removes my makeup so easily. Thanks!
Posted by: Ruth Dunlavey | November 08, 2011 at 09:17 PM
hi i bought a whole bottle of liquid castile soap thinking that i would be able to make soap bar with it. Is it possible to make soap bar using liquid castile soap? if yes do you have any recipe?
Posted by: Railey | January 08, 2012 at 07:38 PM
Dear Railey,
Thanks for visiting The Natural Beauty Workshop. Liquid Castile has already been saponified and made into soap, therefor it's not a suitable ingredient for making bar soap. However, you can add essential oils, fragrance oils, and extracts to liquid castile soap to make it your own unique liquid soap.
If you'd like to create bar soap, there are two methods to choose from. Melt & Pour method is the easiest way to make soap at home. It involves melting down specially formulated glycerin soap in a double boiler, then adding colors and scents while it is melted. It is then repoured into molds and cooled until it hardens. Another method, called cold process soap making, creates bar soaps entirely from scratch. This process uses natural fats and lye in a process called saponification. This method is a bit more advanced, but can still be done at home. These soaps take about 6 weeks to cure, but you have a lot more control over the final product. I'll give you some links to more information on each of these methods.
Melt & Pour Soap Making: http://www.naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2008/11/holiday-project.html
Cold Process Soap Making: http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldprocesssoapmaking/ss/sscpsoap.htm
Posted by: Emmy Gabriel | January 10, 2012 at 01:05 PM